Judge Judy

[stormylane]

A couple days ago while in a rotten mood I was watching Judge Judy.

Well, there were several black people on these programs & something began to really annoy me.
Judge began to get annoyed because it was hard to understand the slur the man was speaking with. (he spoke as if his lips & tongue were numb and he was unable to enunciate his words)

But what finally ended up making me want to drive screwdrivers through my ears were the women who couldn't say the word "ASK".
ALWAYS... each set of black people (except for one) kept saying "AXE" instead of ASK.
The first pair of black women... the plaintiff spoke properly.
Her sister, the defendant, could not.

Why do some black people seem to have such trouble with simple language?
And what the heck is wrong with schools if they can't teach children basic language skills?

[Dark Portrait]

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

[FurryTyrant]

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

I would usually agree but I went to high school with plenty of people that just didn't pay attention or were to lazy to properly learn the language.. Not just blacks but every nationality.

[Axuww]

I live in a county where english is the third language you learn in school and most people cant even say Crème fraîche properly! That's why i never leave the house without my headphones and my ipod! *shudders*

[stormylane]

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

If you had bothered to actually READ my post you would have read these were sisters.
Grew up in the same house, went to the same schools... one learned to say ASK & the other did not.

Between the two, there is a big difference in meaning.

I asked him.
I axed him.

You can't tell me any teacher or school should allow children to just grow up confusing & butchering the language so badly.

[Dark Portrait]

Then one sister decided to pronounce her words more closely to the way they are pronounced in Standard American English.
The other did not.


And she wasn't saying "axe" instead of "ask". She was saying "aks". It's called metathesis, the rearranging of sounds or syllables in a word. In African American English, it commonly happens when the final consonants of a word are "sk" or "sp".

It happens in other dialects of English as well. See: George Bush's pronunciation of "nuclear", anyone who pronounces asterisk as "asterix"(myself included), those who say foliage as "foilage", and anyone who says "Calvery" instead of "Cavalry".

[stormylane]

Dark Portrait

Then one sister decided to pronounce her words more closely to the way they are pronounced in Standard American English.
The other did not.
So it boils down to one paid attention in her language/english class & the other did not?


And she wasn't saying "axe" instead of "ask". She was saying "aks". It's called metathesis, the rearranging of sounds or syllables in a word. In African American English, it commonly happens when the final consonants of a word are "sk" or "sp".

It happens in other dialects of English as well. See: George Bush's pronunciation of "nuclear", anyone who pronounces asterisk as "asterix"(myself included), those who say foliage as "foilage", and anyone who says "Calvery" instead of "Cavalry".

I am aware mispronunciations happen in all cultures, races & social classes.
That however is not what this thread was about.

[Gegaish]

Eh. I'm a loose supporter of Ebonics. It isn't so annoying since I've come to understand it a lot more. As a mixed white mutt, I have a weird accent that I developed over time, from learning german, actually trying to correct my speech a bit, because I found my voice too 'nasal', and sought to over-enunciate, and it's also a product of lazy tongued-ness.. I stopped trying too hard. On another hand, I think I sound pretty arrogant to others if I try too hard to speak correctly, and it seems to have caused problems for me? So I don't bother correcting the accent. Ironically, I'm very determined to speak German like a native.

[Morbid Gnome]

stormylane

You aren't understanding what I'm saying.

If a dialect pronounces a word differently than it is pronounced in Standard American English, that does not mean that it is a mispronunciation. It is simply different.

[Mayor Gravity]

stormylane

A couple days ago while in a rotten mood I was watching Judge Judy.

Well, there were several black people on these programs & something began to really annoy me.
Judge began to get annoyed because it was hard to understand the slur the man was speaking with. (he spoke as if his lips & tongue were numb and he was unable to enunciate his words)

But what finally ended up making me want to drive screwdrivers through my ears were the women who couldn't say the word "ASK".
ALWAYS... each set of black people (except for one) kept saying "AXE" instead of ASK.
The first pair of black women... the plaintiff spoke properly.
Her sister, the defendant, could not.

Why do some black people seem to have such trouble with simple language?
And what the heck is wrong with schools if they can't teach children basic language skills?

They don't have trouble. English has MANY dialects.

That being said, instead of complaing, maybe make a list of the words you can't pronounce properly.

[Mayor Gravity]

FurryTyrant

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

I would usually agree but I went to high school with plenty of people that just didn't pay attention or were to lazy to properly learn the language.. Not just blacks but every nationality.

That's their own faults, not the education system.

[Mayor Gravity]

stormylane

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

If you had bothered to actually READ my post you would have read these were sisters.
Grew up in the same house, went to the same schools... one learned to say ASK & the other did not.

Between the two, there is a big difference in meaning.

I asked him.
I axed him.

You can't tell me any teacher or school should allow children to just grow up confusing & butchering the language so badly.

Did you not get the meaning of MULTIPLE dialects? Growing up in the same house doesn't mean anything.

[FurryTyrant]

Mayor Gravity

FurryTyrant

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

I would usually agree but I went to high school with plenty of people that just didn't pay attention or were to lazy to properly learn the language.. Not just blacks but every nationality.

That's their own faults, not the education system.

I never said it was the educational system's fault..

[Mayor Gravity]

FurryTyrant

Mayor Gravity

FurryTyrant

Dark Portrait

This just in:

English has multiple dialects.

I would usually agree but I went to high school with plenty of people that just didn't pay attention or were to lazy to properly learn the language.. Not just blacks but every nationality.

That's their own faults, not the education system.

I never said it was the educational system's fault..

No, but I was just reitterating the fact that it wasn't

[HighClass Badass]

My shadow cast before me,
I walk inside your circle.

I don't know I just HATE hearing people pronounce "Ask' as "Axed"

"I axed him a question"

Makes me think somebody got smacked in the face with an axe

Protect me, correct me.
You got your orders, soldier.